[No. 10] Yoshiyuki Maeda

This is a lab party (we are all of legal drinking age, of course).

When I was asked to write for "Jukuin Raio" (Alumni Connections), I was reminded of certain words. "You have spent your lives so far paying money, so you have had a lot of fun. But from now on, you will be in a position to earn money, so you will face many walls and hardships. However, each time you overcome them, you will find a new joy you have never experienced before." These are the words of Professor Akira Sakata of the Department of Instrumentation Engineering (at the time), who supervised my graduation research and master's thesis, and I have recalled them from time to time. These words hit the mark strangely well; the six years I spent at Keio University were truly enjoyable and meaningful, and since becoming a working adult, I have had a variety of experiences through my job. I think this is something that everyone realizes when they enter the workforce.

I spent my time until high school in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture, but I had a strong desire to go to a university in Tokyo. This was because I thought that in Tokyo, where many people gather and a great deal of energy is produced and consumed, I would be able to access a wealth of information and engage in creative research activities at a university there. In fact, it was Keio University that made this wish come true.

At Keio University at the time, first- and second-year students from all faculties studied on the Hiyoshi Campus for their liberal arts education, so it was a very fresh experience with many opportunities to meet new friends through lectures and club activities. From the third year, the specialized courses of the Faculty of Engineering (at the time) began, and I conducted experiments and wrote reports on the Yagami Campus alongside professors and upperclassmen in white lab coats. In this different, academic atmosphere, I truly felt that I was part of the Faculty of Engineering.

It was an era of remarkable development in the semiconductor industry, so for my graduation research, I joined the laboratory of Professor Sakata and Professor Ota in solid-state engineering. Here, my days were spent struggling to gather the information necessary for my research from papers, seminars, and academic conferences, and building experimental equipment through trial and error, but I was able to receive a great deal of advice and inspiration from those around me. I remember having a more fulfilling research life than I had imagined and feeling a great sense of accomplishment upon graduation. In particular, during my master's program, I had the opportunity to participate in a joint research project with the Institute for Solid State Physics at the University of Tokyo, and being exposed to cutting-edge research was a valuable experience. Being able to freely pursue my research activities as I pleased within the Keio academic culture, which provides a place for research without being bound by the confines of the university, was a very satisfying conclusion to my student life.

In 1984, upon graduation, I joined Mazda Motor Corporation, an automobile manufacturer in Hiroshima. I thought that manufacturing cars, which are easily seen all over the world, would be stimulating and rewarding in a global industry, as I could directly see the results of my work, for better or worse. Mazda is positioned as a mid-tier automobile company in the world and, while playing a key role in development within the Ford group, continues to introduce distinctive and attractive Mazda-brand products, as represented by the ATENZA and RX-8.

For the past 20 years, I have been in charge of new car product development, and I am currently working as a development project leader. My job is to create highly competitive cars by working together not only with people within Mazda but also with those at Ford and Volvo. This involves investing tens of billions of yen to achieve annual sales of hundreds of thousands of cars, predicting future trends, and considering optimal parts procurement from production plants in Japan, the United States, China, and other countries around the world. Within the automotive industry, Mazda, and amidst the mission and strict constraints given to me, I work tenaciously with many people every day to realize the dream of creating cars that surpass those of other companies.

Looking back, 20 years have passed in the blink of an eye since graduation. The world has changed in ways that were unimaginable 20 years ago. I believe that the world will continue to change even more dramatically in the future, and further challenges await. I want to keep my "mature power" burning, like the Athens Olympic archery medalist Hiroshi Yamamoto, so as not to be outdone by current Keio students and prospective students aiming for Keio University. Remembering Professor Sakata's words.